As Timandra Harkness argues in Technology Is Not the Problem, technology itself is rarely the root cause of social harm. The deeper problem lies in how power is embedded, exercised, and concealed within technological systems.
Our Love–Hate Relationship with Technology
Modern society is deeply conflicted about technology. We rely on it for efficiency, convenience, and connection, yet we increasingly distrust it. Smartphones organise our lives, algorithms curate our choices, and automated systems make decisions that once required human judgment. At the same time, we feel watched, nudged, ranked, and profiled.
This contradiction exists because technology is often presented as neutral—an objective tool that simply optimises outcomes. In reality, every technological system reflects human priorities. What is measured, what is optimised, and what is ignored are all political and economic choices.
Algorithms Are Not Neutral Actors
One of the most dangerous myths of the digital age is that algorithms are impartial. Data is treated as truth, and automated decisions are framed as objective. But data is always selective. It reflects past behaviour, existing inequalities, and institutional biases.
When algorithms decide who gets credit, insurance, welfare benefits, or visibility online, they do not eliminate discrimination—they often scale it. Technology does not create inequality; it amplifies whatever inequality already exists in society.
Technology as a Mask for Power
Perhaps the most important insight is that technology often acts as a shield behind which responsibility disappears. Decisions once made by identifiable officials are now attributed to “the system.” Accountability becomes diffused. When something goes wrong, blame is shifted to code, models, or data rather than to the institutions that designed them.
This is not a technological failure; it is a governance failure. The problem is not automation, but the absence of democratic oversight over automated systems. When markets and states deploy technology without transparency, power becomes harder to question and easier to abuse.
Why This Matters for Economics and Policy
From an economic perspective, digital technology is accelerating concentration—of data, market power, and influence. Platform economies reward scale, lock in users, and weaken competition. Without strong institutions, technology strengthens monopolies rather than markets.
For policymakers, the challenge is not to slow innovation but to modernise regulation. The real task is to ensure that technological systems serve public goals rather than narrow private interests. This requires asking uncomfortable questions about ownership, incentives, and accountability.
Not Anti-Technology, But Pro-Human
Crucially, this is not an argument against innovation, AI, or digital transformation. It is an argument for responsibility. Technology can enhance productivity, inclusion, and governance—but only if societies consciously decide how it should be used.
The future will not be shaped by machines alone. It will be shaped by the institutions, laws, and values we embed into those machines.
A Necessary Shift in the Debate
Instead of asking whether technology is good or bad, we should ask: Who controls it?
Who benefits from it?
Who bears the risks?
Until these questions are central to public debate, blaming technology will remain an easy distraction from the real issue—unchecked power operating behind a veil of code.
Technology is not the problem.
The problem is unaccountable power disguised as progress.#Technology
#Power
#Algorithms
#Accountability
#Governance
#ArtificialIntelligence
#DigitalEconomy
#DataEthics
#Inequality
#PublicPolicy
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